6 Steps To Healthier Natural Hair!

Kicking off this fresh month with talks on ‘natural hair care’. This is not my routine! I’ll share that with ‘you’z’ in the latter. As per usual, quick story! I’ve been natural for over 5 years give and take. Initially I was hooked into the world of ‘naturalistas’. I big chopped twice! Tired ever brand I watched good reviews on, read blogs, bought more products, Repeat! Repeat! Repeat! I spent so much investing in my hair and Yes! I did see results. I loved the fact my hair was longer, thicker and healthier and in my pursuit of preservation, I got webbed into ‘protective styling’ from wigs, weaves and braids. I did that for a few good years, give little to none TLC to my hair thinking all will be well plus It was super convenient.

It took a long time for me to realise I had only gone and screwed up all hard work. So, last year I was tempted to relax my hair, but my fellow ‘naturalista’s’ forbade me!!

I then decided this year I will give my hair the love it once used to have, that last push to restoration and if all fails! I will be dancing into 2018 with relaxed hair.

With that the below are things I have vowed to do this year and I will update you all on my progress and give a more detailed routine in months to come.

1. STUDY MY HAIR TYPE!

OK! This doesn’t mean diving and obsessing into vigorous research. I really believe in that mantra of ‘less is more’. Once you know what your hair loves, stick to it!. However, you do need to know and study your hair texture, type, porosity etc before trying out products. Understanding your hair will help you achieve your hair goals.

2. LOOK AFTER ME!

This is paramount in life, when it comes to your hair factors such as stress, lack of a healthy vitamin and protein based foods, dehydration ( water) play a part in your hair health and as they say:’ Your exterior is a reflection of your interior’ so I have introduced healthy lifestyle changes and so far, so good!

3. WASH!

I have stopped using shampoo, reverting to natural cleansers only when I feel I have build-ups which is evident in how your hair takes to style manipulations. Some of these include: clay rinses, acv rinses, bicarbonate of soda rinse but only limited to natural opts!

4. DETANGLING!

Right! so I know there’s a ton of friendly detangling options we naturalista’s love from the famous ‘Denman brush’ to wide tooth combs but I have scratched all these using only my fingers to detangle my hair be it before or after my wash regime! Even now with my crotchet braids in, I only used a comb to part the cornrows but the rest was left to my fingers, starting from the ends to root!

5. CONDITIONING!

This is my favourite thing when it comes to hair care. I have gone back to basics incorporating more natural opts! This was a tricky one as some leave-ins, conditioners, and deep conditioners despite being somewhat not natural are unrivalled, so I refuse to ditch some of my fave products but rather mix them up more with natural DIY’s.

6. SCALP CARE!

The therapeutic part of this all. I used to always grease my scalp, especially if I had a headache but days later my scalp would start itching like crazy! So, I decided to rather go for a water based solution which makes a massive difference. I now DIY my scalp hydrators with only natural & essential oils, conditioners or natural tea mixes. I also ensure I make time as frequently as possible to just massage my scalp stimulating blood flow, lubricating my scalp and sebum production which relaxes my scalp and aids hair growth! Truth is your scalp doesn't need greasing as it produces its own oils but for some greasing your scalp is a necessity for scalp treatments which I would say still do.

I have been doing this since January and noticed a difference in just 2 months, even my nephew was like; ‘Aunty your hair looks nice’ and coming from a kid you know there’s truth in it!. I currently have crotchet braids in but after a few more weeks I will let my hair breathe and get some TLC for a good month before anything else. My aim is to leave my hair out more and look after it more. Let me know if there is anything you have changed in your hair regime that you find has been amazing!